like a spoon fork. spray cheese. and jeans made out of sweatpants. so grab yourself some new prilosec otc wildberry. [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. right now on "andrea mitchell reports," a christmas miracle from the cliff hangers. both sides could pay heed to our new nbc news/wall street journal poll. a first look as the speaker updates the standoff today. >> i remain the most optimistic person in this town, but we've got some serious differences. the president and i had a pretty frank conversation about just how far apart we are. >> president obama tells barbara walters his bottom line. >> i'm pretty confident that republicans would not hold middle class taxes hostage to try to protect tax cuts for --

terror at the mall, a masked gunman opens fire outside portland, oregon, killing two people in a crowd of holiday shoppers before turning the gun on himself. >> i heard two loud booms. i thought that they were something falling in the mall. i looked again, i glanced to my left, and i seen, like, gunshots shot everywhere, shooting everywhere, people running for their lives. >> i just bolted. there were little kids, families, moms, we told everybody get inside the fitting rooms. north korea fires its first successful long-range missile test. even china is alarmed. jenna bush hager announced on the "today" show they are expecting. george and laura bush call in their congratulations. >> president, mrs. bush, what do you want the grandchild to call you? >> sir. [ laughter ]

>> we want to call him poncho. >> jimmy baker's grandkids call him happy. i kind of like the ring of that. >> it means boss. >> popsicle isn't half bad either. >> yeah, speak for yourself. >> happy days and good day, i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. and we are 20 days away from that so-called fiscal cliff. in our new nbc news/wall street journal poll just out for us today, most americans say they want compromise. joining me here for our daily fix, chris, msnbc contributor and managing editor of postpolitics.com. the fiscal cliff, the people that we polled, americans get it. they want, two-thirds of them, 65% say they want a deal to be done. they want compromises even if it means targeted entitlement cuts and tax increases. >> yeah, and i don't think we should be terribly surprised by

that, andrea. the truth of the matter is over the last decade or so what we've seen is congress, really, because of redistricting and other things like that, members of congress don't tend to have to represent the middle of the country. they wind up representing their two-party bases, the people that deeply disagree. democratic base does not want entitlement cuts, republican base does not want to raise taxes. but people in general like the idea congress can get something done on something big. now, i would say there's a little bit of devil in the details. the question does ask about entitlements and taxes, but what entitlements, what specifics on the taxes. i think if you add in those things, the polling i've seen is people like the idea of a deal, but when you say the deal is going to be this, i don't want those things. that's always the problem. >> they were asked about entitlement cuts. clearly, people are in favor of tax increases for the rich. we know that. that's certainly the mandate that came out of the election.

>> i think chris asked the right question, though, which specific cuts do people favor, and is it my entitlements or your entitlements, you know? >> if it's your entitlements, that's all right. >> my entitlements, not quite sure. >> when you look inside these numbers, 68% of democrats, 66% of republicans, and 56% of independents all favor these choices. >> i know, and i'm not big on easy equivalents, both sides are equally responsible. that's usually not true. however, this time it does seem to be true, that's the way people perceive it, both democrats and republicans say there needs to be compromise. it's kind of interesting the number among independents is lower. >> it's funny the two partisan sides are higher, i thought the exact same thing. >> independents want compromise and don't like bickering. >> only 28% said they would want each side to stick to their

ideological choices, even if it means going over the cliff. people don't want all of this tension, they don't want the dramatic sequester. >> they want to feel as though their government can do big things and solve big problems. i think, look, part and parcel why barack obama was elected and then reelected. the promise of, look, you may not agree with everything i've done, but this country needs a big leader and i am that big leader. they want people to get things done. plus the fact, it's not in this poll, but in most polling we've seen, people would overwhelmingly blame republicans if we go over the cliff. the blame is pretty clear where it's going to fall. i think they are going to get a deal. >> that came out of the washington post/abc poll. >> heavily, heavily so. >> certainly, the speaker and his colleagues are looking at that. there was a comment on cbs this morning from dave camp, the ways and means chairman, who's going to have a big say over what happens on taxes. this is his reaction. >> this is the fifth president i've served with, and when -- in

the divided government, when presidents want an agreement, they can get an agreement. >> the president has the leverage now. >> he does. >> the clock is ticking. we had an interesting comment from ken conrad yesterday as to when this would take place, not too soon, because you don't want all the interest groups to have enough time to let up, i said when is that goldilocks moment, he said, probably tuesday. >> at least he picked a day. >> down to the 24-hour window: >> tuesday at 1:00. >> that's fine with me. i'm clear, as a matter of fact, at that hour. i certainly would agree with the not too soon part, because i think the president and the house republicans have to play to their bases for a while longer. >> thank you, both, very much. chris, see you later. eugene, great to see you. tuesday, 1:00, you'll be here. >> i'll be here. i marked it on my calendar. >> joining me now, latest on the state of the negotiations and

just how much running room the speaker has is congresswoman -- washington state congresswoman cathy mcmorris-rodgers. recently elected chair of the house republican conference. graduations to you with that. what is the speaker telling you about how much give there has to be from republicans and what you think you can get out of the white house? >> well, the speaker has been disappointed so far in his conversations with the president that they are not getting closer, we need the good-faith negotiations, and the speaker went to the podium the day after the election and said the republicans were willing to put revenue on the table, new tax revenue on the table. and right now, the republicans find themselves in this position where it is very important that we also are addressing the other side of that equation, the balanced solution that also addresses the spending side of it, the importance of looking at spending cuts and entitlement reform and we believe this really is our moment to tackle

those big problems that you guys were just talking about. >> congresswoman, what are you saying when you look at our poll, which says 65% of those polled want compromise, and the compromise, even if it includes giving up on spending cuts and taxes and on the abc/washington post poll, they clearly favor the president by 49% over the speaker's position. >> well, the republicans are -- we believe, and we're standing by what is best for the middle class, what we believe is going to provide that certainty for the middle class, provide the certainty for the economy, and we have concerns about raising the tax rates themselves, but we recognize that it's going to take -- it's going to take that balanced approach. the president, during the campaign, talked about a 3 to 1 type of agreement where there would be $3 in spending cuts for every dollar in new tax revenue, and that is a model that we can support. we would like to get to the

table and actually start those good-faith negotiations, similar to what president reagan and tip o'neill did back in the early '80s. that's the approach we need, and we need that leadership from the president. >> did meet face-to-face, had another conversation last night, what is the speaker telling you about how far apart they are? >> the speaker says that unfortunately what is presented on paper is the president going the opposite direction where he's asking for no taxes, stimulus, more spending, and not serious about the spending cuts. and in order for us to get an agreement, in order for us to get something through the house and the senate, it's going to take both. it's going to take the new revenue and the spending cuts, and that's, unfortunately, the spending cuts are missing right now in the president's proposal. >> does it worry you that according to the polling, the washington post and abc's and ours certainly now, that the

american people are not supporting the republican house caucus position? >> well, i also -- i've also seen the polls that show the american people are very concerned about the debt, and they do believe that spending cuts need to be on the table, that we cannot continue to spend so much more than we're taking in. you know, the trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, the nearly doubling of the national debt. americans recognize that that is going to hamper us moving forward, whether on a national security basis, as well as our economic growth moving forward. so i know that the polls say certain things. i've seen a lot of polls that do show that americans want us to start living within our means, start balancing budgets, and middle class americans recognize they have to do it in their household and they expect the federal government to do likewise. >> thank you very much,

congresswoman cathy mcmorris rodgers. how is the world reacting, we'll have that next and still ahead. oscar-winning director oliver stone with his unique spin on american history. first, dick lugar, says good-bye today after 36 years. >> before the next 9/11, the president must be willing to call republicans to the oval office to establish the basis for a working partnership in foreign policy. and republicans must be willing to suspend reflexive opposition that serve no purpose but to limit their own role in strategic questions and render cooperation impossible. your jaw? campbell's has 24 new soups that will make it drop over, and over again. ♪ from jammin' jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. see what's new from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

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the united nations has now

joined the security counsel in condemning north korea's rocket launch. the communist nation's strongest ally. today, china condemned the decision to launch the long-range rocket in the face of pressure from the international community. joining us from beijing with re action from china, universally condemned. >> reporter: hello, andrea. well, a short while ago we heard from north korea that this new satellite has started broadcasting revolutionary songs, the songs of kim il-song and mission control there was great excitement at this. the rest of the world, is, of course, somewhat less enthralled and even china, the ally and economic partner of pyongyang had some pretty blunt language today. now, this isn't the first time that china has been critical of north korea, but they rarely

react in such blunt terms. you will recall that only a short while ago they were describing the relationship with north korea as being like lips and teeth, well, that's really no longer the case. the question now, of course, is what china will do about it. they were pretty clear today they were not about to start supporting u.n. sanctions against the north, but we have a new leadership here, and there are signs he may be less indulgent of north korea, less indulgent of a nation which officials here privately have likened to a spoiled child. so it may well be we'd see a different tone in relationships with china, and, of course, this may be crucial going forward in terms of what can be done and indeed what can be done to prevent another nuclear test, which has been hinted at by pyongyang, andrea. >> thank you so much, ian williams in beijing tonight. joining me now is michigan

congressman mike rogers, chairman of the house intelligence committee, also a former fbi agent. thanks for being with us. what is the significance and what do we know about the success of this, because there had been prior attempts, all failures, but this one seems to have worked. >> it seems to have worked according to plan and maybe worked beyond what we expected and maybe even what the north koreans expected. this puts them clearly on a path, you know, there's that three-legged stool of trying to get a nuclear weapon you can deliver some place and detonate. the mission portion of that is a very important portion of that, so this is a very serious, very provocative steps, certainly in violation of u.n. resolutions, and this is a big moment for the international community. and i would specify china about their ability to step up and engage and change the mind of north korea on its pursuit of a nuclear weapon program that can weaponize it, put it on the top

of a missile, and fire it some place. >> how concerned are we right now about a nuclear test, another nuclear test, by the north koreans? >> they have earlier said they would do this, and we thought maybe they would have done this several months ago, so this is clearly something, i think, they are going to try to show the continued success of their program. it would not surprise me they would have yet another nuclear test. and, again, this is them trying to move in that direction to say that they are a nuclear-capable nation. and that's, you know, troubling, obviously, for a whole host of reasons. one thing about this, andrea, i think is so important, this has been really a couple of administrations, the last three different administrations, have had a hard time struggling to get this program under control and it's advancing and advancing quickly now. i think this is the sign we need to change our policy a little bit on how we deal with a north korea that is absolutely defiant in the international community and trying to get a

nuclear-capable program that could deliver a nuclear missile, maybe even as far as the united states. >> what more can we do? we have certain constraints, obvious constraints, the veto threats of north korea's ally in the united nations security council. can we sanction them more, do anything unilaterally? >> that's where we start. i think we need to have stronger bilateral relationships and harder and tougher and more candid conversations with china when it comes to north korea. if there is a nation that can step in and change the direction of this program around the world, china would be one of them. think about the sanctions. if you think about it, north korea is, literally, a starving nation, but they made the calculation that despite the other sanctions, despite the other activities, they were going to pursue this nuclear weapon program when literally, they have countrymen starving to death. that is a hard calculation to change and why we need to, i think, elevate the discussions with china in a bilateral way

about north korea, the one country that can really make a difference there. i'd start there and move forward from there. >> i know you were just back from the persian gulf and you have a keen interest in what's happening in syria. we've taken this step toward recognition behind our allies and to some criticism, the rebel forces are telling our colleague, richard engel, too little, too late, and, in fact, the terror designation of several groups there is counterproductive, because they are the best fighters. what is your take on how we are trying to find a middle ground here? >> there is this notion we should have participated at the table in discussions. i'm not talking about militarily much earlier, they are frustrated with us as well. here's been the issue, so the best-funded, best-equipped, and best-capable fighters have been from the front or other

extremist groups. so they have globed on to these opposition groups and been very effective tool and very effective units for them in fighting. and that's been a problem. so we have seen over time that the proliferation of these groups across a whole segment of opposition groups that six months ago we would have said had no extremists in them. that's the huge problem that we're facing. it's a little bit of catch up today to say the front is a terrorist organization. i'm glad that we're there, path to recognition to try to get them to a better place about not using these extremist groups, but we are playing catchup and we need to be more aggressive and have more aggressive conversations with arab league partners as we move forward. it was clear coming back from a bahrain security conference in the region, we have real issues there to make up, we being the united states, to try to convince these countries we're

serious about assad leaving and a stable government to replace him. >> congressman mike rogers, the intelligence chair, thank you very much. >> thanks, andrea. next here on "andrea mitchell reports," big labor plots a counteroffensive in michigan. and an emotional good-bye for kay bailey hutchinson. the senator took time in her farewell address today to thank barbara mccluskey for naming a bill after her. >> i just want to end by saying i so appreciate barbara mccluskey naming the bill after me. it will mean so much to me. time for the your business entrepreneur of the week. she wanted to introduce this

dish to mainstream america. using her former skills as a marketer, she created mother in law's kimchi. the product is now carried in whole foods and fresh markets. for more, watch "your business" this sunday at 7:30 on msnbc.

oh, let me guess --ou see this? more washington gridlock. no, it's worse -- look, our taxes are about to go up. not the taxes on our dividends though, right? that's a big part of our retirement. oh, no, it's dividends, too. the rate on our dividends would more than double. but we depend on our dividends to help pay our bills. we worked hard to save. well, the president and congress have got to work together to stop this dividend tax hike. before it's too late. labor has taken some big losses in the west. most recently michigan yesterday, and the movement now

is going to try to get revenge in the elections two years from now. joining me now, politico executive editor and ron mott live in lansing, michigan. first, you, ron mott, the day after the governor rick snyder has signed the right-to-work bills, what is the labor movement planning to do next? >> well, we don't know, andrea. pretty quiet on that front, much like it is down here on the street. far different scene yesterday, of course, a lot of union workers very upset about not just this legislation that's going to wipe out a 77-year-old requirement that workers be forced to pay union dues as a condition of employment, they are upset also about how this was jammed through the legislature. this was passed in both bodies in four days time and signed by the governor last night. what the advocates of this legislation say is union shops and unions no longer can just depend on fattening up their membership roles by default, they actually have to go out and sell themselves, sell their benefits to the workforce in

order to earn those memberships. so we'll see how this all changes. the law will go into effect some time in late march or early april. we don't know what recourse they have. we know they can't challenge this at the ballot box. i asked him why this was rushed through so quickly. he says this was never part of his agenda but organized labor tried to force the issue by putting a constitutional amendment really to enshrine collective bargaining in the state's constitution. that failed last month, and republican lawmakers saw an opportunity here, they seized it, and it passed through pretty quickly. >> more broadly, politico is reporting today the afl cio is trying to down gubernatorials, what do you see? >> they've been on assault now in several states, we're talking about michigan today, but similar fights in indiana, ohio, wisconsin, and the common theme

is they are losing. they want to fight back, largely in a lot of these states in the off-year elections, particularly in gubernatorial races, scott walker in z wisconsin, john casic in ohio, labor still has a lot of money, one of the better-organized constituencies in the country. they want to put that to use to show there's still a force in politics, they want to make sure they can push back what they see as a hostile anti-union tide that's sweeping across the midwest and hitting other countries that really is a lethal, if not mortal, threat to the union movement. so they still do have the resources we talked about. they still have a lot of money, still have a national network. i think they want to deploy that as much as they can in the next couple of elections. >> they've got real resources and a real history and tradition in states like pennsylvania and in nevada. perhaps less so in florida. and those are states that they are also keying in on. >> yeah, i mean, again, like different states have different union constituencies, sort of the premier gubernatorial races

coming up in a place like virginia, where i'm at right now, or new jersey where governor christie's up, it's not clear they can have that decisive of a voice in those states. virginia, there's not a massive union movement. state like new jersey, look at the latest polls and see christie with 75% approval ratings. that will probably dip as we get some distance from the storm, but even before the storm he was at 56% approval rating. so he's going to be difficult to beat. they are trying to look at states where they can really make an appreciable difference because of their numbers, because of their clout in places like pennsylvania and ohio, they are very well organized. you see the fruits of that in some of the presidential races. they want to see if they can apply that to down ballot races but also the gubernatorial races. >> jim, thanks so much, and ron mott in lansing, michigan, beautiful day there today. police in oregon have just identified the gunman in that deadly mall shooting spree. we'll be live next with the developing details.

still ahead, oliver stone's untold history of the united states. first, another senate farewell today, this time danielle akaka. >> korea's come to a close. like the great men whose names are etched here in this desk. i am humble to know i've left my mark on this institution.

and this breaking news right now, susan rice, the ambassador, speaking on north korea at the u.n. >> without regard for its international obligations,

therefore, members of the council must now work in a concerted fashion to send north korea a clear message that its violations of u.n. security council resolutions have consequences. in the days ahead, the united states will work with partners on the security council, as well as our partners in the six-party talks and other countries in the international community to pursue appropriate action. i'm happy to take a couple questions. >> reporter: my question is, what is coming after the swift, swift action of the security council? so, the issue of new sanction has been raised, obviously, but certain members of the security council is not likely to agree with a new resolution, so my question is, do you think it is

possible to impose a new sanction without adopting a new resolution? do you think it is appropriate? >> well, let me say this, first of all, i've been through a number of similar council sessions on north korea and its provocative actions over the course of my tenure here. the statement that was issued today was an initial statement out of the council is one of the swiftest and strongest, if not the swiftest and strongest, that this council has issued, in that it issued a clear condemnation of this action, and it did so right away. now we go into the second phase, as we have in the past, where negotiations begin among council members, particularly those with a particular interest in this topic, and we will approach those, as we have in the past, with a clear set of objectives, but our objective is this be a clear and meaningful response by the security council, consistent with the last presidential statement, which said there

would be appropriate further action. and i don't want to get into a situation where we begin to prejudge what that product might be. i will say, however, that we are very much ready to engage with our colleagues on the council and we will be searching for a clear and credible response. >> reporter: any specifics, though, on what you would like to see in such a resolution, ambassador? >> there always are, but as you know, i don't negotiate in public. let us begin the consultations with our partners. we certainly have elements and aspects we think are important. i'm sure others will have theirs, and we will come to an agreement. >> u.n. ambassador susan rice just after the security council has condemned the decision by north korea to defy the rest of the world and launch this rocket. joining me now is michelle, former under secretary of defense, cofounder for the

center of new american security. this is a major statement by the new leader. he's, obviously, trying to shore up his own reputation internally, but it is -- is it without consequences? nothing we can do, given china's continuing support, condemnation, but continuing support for pyongyang. >> it's clearly a provocation, it's clearly a violation of the u.n. security council resolutions against north korea. it is important china did come out and condemn this. north korea probably listens to china more than anybody else, but i do think the international community needs to make good on the consequences. >> what's the concern now, they have a nuclear test, they have a real delivery system? >> it's still many years to get, or at least some years, to get a ballistics capability to threaten us, but these things tend to come in cycles, and so it's not a good sign that they are starting down the

provocation road again. >> given how heavily sanctioned they are, why are they doing this? >> this is really about shoring up the son's transmission, his ability to control the military to exert power, to have influence. this is really for domestic consumption more than anything else at this point. >> should we put a lot of pressure on china? we have a new chinese leader. that relationship is so important to us, but is this more important, should we really be pressing the chinese to take a tough line? >> this is an opportunity to engage the new leadership in china to be a responsible stake holder, to be a partner in the u.n., in the international community, to do their part where they have leverage to try to ensure north korea doesn't go down the road of instability. >> you spoke to the atlantic council about your concerns about defense cuts, the sequester is very much top of mind to the defense secretary leon panetta traveling, he was in kuwait before going on to kabul, this is what he had to say about the sequester.

>> in that mindless approach called sequester, the defense department, on top of $500 billion in cuts that we've already put in place for the future, would add another $500 billion on top of that. and that would do significant harm to our ability to provide a strong defense for the country. >> he called it reckless. any budget of the size of the pentagon's budget has some fat in it, and there's pork larded in various states and different constituencies. do you think that the defense, the security of our country, is really at risk if the sequester goes into effect? >> i do. i think it's so mindless and automatic in the way the cuts are taken that it would necessarily require cuts that would really hurt readiness, modernization, it would hurt capability. and my worry is it would send a very negative signal in terms of

allies and friends abroad. i just came back from two weeks in asia, people are questioning the u.s. staying power. they are looking at this political prowess and saying can we count on the u.s., so it's very important we get our economic house in order, we get a deal to move forward. >> how important is it for the president to move quickly on his new international security team? >> i think that's important too, and i understand lots of good work is going into that and you'll have an impressive team rolled out hopefully soon. >> michelle, thank you very much. coming up next, the sheriff's office in clackamas county, oregon, has just released the latest details on that fatal shooting rampage that killed two people, leaving one teenaged girl in serious condition. according to the sheriff's briefing, the 22-year-old suspect has been identified as jacob tyler roberts. he used a stolen semi-automatic rifle during the shooting. the sheriff noted the law enforcement received hundreds of calls from panicked shoppers in

the mall. the first unit that arrived on the scene, just one minute later, no motive has been established. no apparent relationship between the shooter and his victims. jay gray is live in that area of oregon right now. jay, no rational to this, do we know anything about whether this was a legal weapon, a semi-automatic rifle, of course, raised concerns nationally for years because of the whole lapsing of the assault weapon ban. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely, andrea. what we do know is it was a stolen ar-15. no, it wasn't legal as far as jacob tyler roberts was concerned, we don't know the origin where it was stolen at this point. we are still learning information as it becomes available here. the victims were totally random, he did not know the two people who were killed and the one who was injured. also we're learning he did not have on a bullet-proof vest or body armor like some of the witnesses suggested.

he was wearing a hockey mask, we know that for certain. we also know that police believe their quick response helped to contain this and stop it from becoming much worse. they actually did not wait for s.w.a.t. teams when they arrived at the mall. they went into the mall two by two, something they actually practiced at this mall earlier this year. they are saying that practice really helped to contain roberts, make sure he could not get out and do more harm and more damage. they also did confirm that he turned the gun on himself to end this shooting spree. andrea? >> jay gray, another example of gun violence and terror at the mall in the holiday shopping season. great response from the first responders. thank you very much, jay. coming up next right here on "andrea mitchell reports," oscar-winning director oliver stone tackling modern history. stay with us. peared at their do, he opened up jake's very private world. at first, jake's family thought they saved ziggy,

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i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. history revisited, new

documentary series untold history of the united states airing on the showtime channel on monday nights. listen to part of stone's objectives in his ten-part series spanning american history from world war ii to today. >> we are going to propose, among other things, a forgotten set of heros, people who suffered for their beliefs and who have been lost to history because they did not conform. and we are going to debunk some of those heros you believe in, not with malice, but by restating the facts. >> and there's also a companion book to this documentary series. and joining me now, academy award winning writer and director oliver stone and co-writer and director, our neighbor right down the street. thank you both very much for joining us. you're about halfway through the series now. it's 8:00 eastern on showtime, and one of the fascinating periods that you look at is the whole period after world war ii,

the death of stalin. let's take a look at a clip. >> americans woke to the news that joseph stalin was dead. despite his extraordinary brutality, most russians revered him for leading to victory over the nazis and turning backwards russia into a modern industrial state. while the public mourned, the new soviet leaders created the onerous ghost of a man who ruled their lives like an ancient czar for 30 years decided to maintain tensions with the capitalist west. >> but that period, you know, in the '50s, late '40s, early '50s was the rise of oliver mccarthyism, the nuclear h-bomb. such a traumatic history in american history. >> i lived through it, like you did probably. >> absolutely, i'm a boomer. >> it's a chance to go back, actually, when i was about 35,

40 years old, i started to change my views. i grew up in new york, very republican, very conservative upbringing, my father was a stockbroker and later in my life i went to see peter one day and i wanted to ask him how did the atomic bomb really get started, because we all treated like it had to be dropped, ended the war, there's no -- so the question bugged me, and we got into the story of how the bomb was dropped. that leads to so many other questions about world war ii, what really happened, and the cold war right after. this is the time when stalin dies in this clip, it's a significant opportunity, again, to bring together the two countries, and it's muffled. >> we see it as a lost opportunity. march 5, 1953, the soviet leaders had decided there was a chance to reverse course, they reached out very, very openly to the west, and the u.s. leaders, eisenhower and dullis debated

what to do. eisenhower makes a tremendous speech, then two days later dullis rejects the premise of what eisenhower said and we go back to the intensified cold war. >> you know, we even know that from more contemporary american history, missed opportunities where there is outreach from various countries to the united states. we see it more recently. what about this clip, this relates to george orwell. >> george orwell once wrote, "who controls the past controls the future." by showing you the patterns of behavior which have come to be that you perhaps have not noticed before, we will try to bring you back to the meaning of this country and what's so radically changed after world war ii. this behavior has brought us to where we are now. this film is designed to enhance democratic values and institutions in our country. >> i had a mustache then.

that was five years ago. >> you didn't shave it off because of our fundraising for epilepsy. >> no, it's been a long haul. this is a long one. >> you've worked for five years on this. >> there's a fluidity in the clips. i think you see a bit of it, you sense the way the history goes, and we try to make it exciting for young people, because our target in the book was to reach 17 year olds, 18 year olds, the new generation. my daughter, my sons, never got any closer to the truth than i did when i was growing up in school, so this is important for us to leave something behind. maybe this is another way of looking at world war ii and the cold war. >> as a professor, peter, you're engaging with students every day. you're trying to find ways to make it relevant and revisit history and reinterpret it and give it new meaning. >> this is a history i've been teaching my students down the road for 25 years now, and oliver's films were going along the same course, there was a sort of confluence of what i was teaching, what oliver was doing

with his films, and we're trying to challenge people to rethink the past, show both the way history turned out wasn't inevitable, we came very close to very different directions we would think would be much better for this country, but also their understanding of the past is limited by what they've been reading, what they've been taught. we're trying to challenge that and give a difference vision of what the united states has been and can be. >> more recent history for a lot of us is also the next episode coming up, which is jfk at the brink, the cuban missile cuban crisis. when you talk about that and spent so much of your life and we associate you with john f. kennedy, what did we learn about him from the missile crisis and the way our government functions? >> he was a strong man and he had h character and he was able to stand up to the military twice during the bay of pigs and the missile crisis. he had tremendous pressure to go

to war. under that pressure obama would have gone to war because he did in afghanistan. kennedy stepped back and that moment in history is the scariest for me and you perhaps remember, but we didn't know what was going on. they brought us back from -- we wouldn't be talking today. >> even most recently we had new evidence that president kennedy reached out to former president eisenhower for advice as to how to handle it. >> they gave advice. >> yes. there is a lost pressure on kennedy to invade. we didn't know about the nuclear weapons. there four times as many troops and three times as many cuban troops. mcnamara said we would have lost 100,000 americans if we invade and we had no idea about that.

>> it is a fascinating collaboration between the two of you. the book and the series, show time, 8:00 on mondays. thank you very much. the renowned indian composer has died. collaborations with legends and the beatles cultivated a worldwide appreciation for indian music. his work with george harrison shot him to history and later dubbed him the godfather of world music. he was credited with spearheading the first rock benefit. the father of award winning musician norah jones, he was 92 years old. he had undergone heart valve replacement last week near his southern california home. [ sniffs ] i have a cold.

[ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ breathes deeply ] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth!

which political story will make headlines in the next hours.

this is 12-12-12. the concert in madison square garden and headlined by the boss, bruce springsteen for sandy relief. >> a wonderful cause and i wish i had a ticket. paul mccartney and bon jovi. that would make my musical life. and bon jovi. >> and similar to what they did after 9/11. we thank them and donating their services and music. it will be unbelievable. thank you. >> thank you. >> great to have you here on the set. tamron hall has a look at what's next. >> great to see you. in the next hour, maybe they won't be home for christmas. house speaker john boehner warns house members not to make plans for the holidays as the fiscal cliff is at a stand still. he and the president have serious differences. we will get reaction from the white house and talk with senator robert menendez and

labors pay back plan and reports labor unions have a large offensive setting sights on key republican governors. they have the staff to get ready for the fight ahead. they have the hit list. get. well, we worked hard for those benefits. we earned them. and if washington tries to cram decisions about the future... of these programs into a last minute budget deal... we'll all pay the price. aarp is fighting to protect seniors with responsible... solutions that strengthen medicare and... social security for generations to come. we can do better than a last minute deal... that would hurt all of us.

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